Bars, clubs and live music - The Rough Guide to Tokyo - page 165

JAPANESE BEER
American brewer William Copeland set up Japan's first brewery in Yokohama in 1870 to serve
fellow expats streaming into the country in the wake of the Meiji Restoration. Back then the
Japanese had to be bribed to drink beer, but these days they need no such encouragement,
knocking back a whopping 6.11 million kilograms of the stuff a year.
Copeland's brewery eventually became Kirin , one of Japan's big four brewers along with
Asahi , Sapporo and Suntory . All turn out a range of lagers and ale-type beers (often called
black beer). There are also low-malt beers called happōshu , and no-malt varieties called
dai-san-no-biiru , which have proved very popular of late because of their lower price (the
higher the malt content, the higher the government tax), even if they generally taste insipid.
An increasing number of Tokyo bars - try Popeye (see opposite), Dry Dock (see below) and
the two Taproom venues (see p.171) for starters - serve microbrew craft beers from around
Japan (sometimes called ji-biiru - “regional beer”). Most of these ales have way more character
than the products of the big four. For more information on the craft-beer scene there's the
bi-lingual free magazine The Japan Beer Times ( W japanbeertimes.com) and the blog Beer in
Japan ( W beerinjapan.com).
Standard-size cans of beer cost around ¥200 from shops or vending machines, while
bottles ( bin-biiru ) usually start at ¥500 in restaurants and bars. Draught beer ( nama-biiru ) is
sometimes available and, in beer halls, will be served in a jokki , a mug-like glass which comes
in three sizes: dai (big), chū (medium) and shō (small).

Dry Dock υϥΠυοΫ 3-25-10 Shimbashi, Minato-ku
T 03 5777 4755; Shimbashi station; map p.48. Cosy
craft-beer bar with a nautical theme nestling beneath the
train tracks. Its no-smoking policy is a welcome change,
and patrons often spill outside to enjoy the regularly
changing menu of Japanese and overseas microbrews.
Note there's no food served on Saturday. Mon-Fri 5pm-
midnight, Sat until 10pm.
Ì Kagaya ͔͕΍ B1F Hanasada Building, 2-15-12
Shimbashi, Minato-ku T 03 3591 2347; Shimbashi
station; map p.48. English-speaking Mark runs this simple
basement bar as if he's hosting an 8-year-old's birthday
party with alcohol. Around ¥3000 will get you plenty of
drink and food; you're also welcome to don one of the frog
or teddy-bear costumes. Reservations recommended.
Mon-Sat 5pm-midnight, though times vary.
Lion ϥΠΦϯ 7-9-20 Ginza, Chūō-ku T 03 3571 2590;
Ginza station; map p.48. Opened in 1934, this flagship
beer hall of the Sapporo chain is a rather baronial place,
with dark tiles and mock wood panelling. As well as good
draught beer (from ¥630), there are sausages, sauerkraut
and other German snacks on offer alongside international
pub grub, and a restaurant upstairs. You'll find other
branches scattered around Tokyo, all using the same
formula. Daily 11.30am-11pm, Sun until 10.30pm.
Marunouchi House ؙͷ಺ϋ΢ε 7F Shin-Marunouchi
Bldg, 1-5-1 Maranouchi, Chiyoda-ku T 03 5218 5100;
Tokyo station; map p.48. The best thing about the open-
plan space here, with its seven different restaurants and
bars, is that you can take your drinks out on to the broad
wraparound terrace for great views of Tokyo station and
towards the Imperial Palace. Check out Limelight , a kitsch
place presided over by a transsexual bar keeper that pays

homage to typical neighbourhood “snack” bars. Cover
charge at night. Daily 11am-4am, Sun until 11pm.
Old Imperial Bar Imperial Hotel, 1-1-1 Uchisaiwaichō,
Chiyoda-ku T 03 3539 8088; Hibiya station; map p.48.
All that remains in Tokyo of Frank Lloyd Wright's Art Deco
Imperial Hotel is this recreated bar. Try their signature
Mount Fuji cocktail (¥1470), a wickedly sweet blend of gin,
cream, egg white and sugar syrup with a cherry on top,
which was invented here in 1924. And while you sup it, ask
to see the photo albums of how the hotel once looked.
Smart attire recommended. Daily 11.30am-midnight.
Ì Shin Hi No Moto ৽೔ͷج 2-4-4 Yūrakuchō,
Chiyoda-ku T 03 3214 8021; Yūrakuchō or Hibiya
stations; map p.48. Known to all and sundry as “Andy's”,
this is a lively English-owned izakaya under the tracks
just south of Yūrakuchō station. It's one of the few places
you can try the excellent Sapporo Red Star beer, or go
for the cheap, strong shōchū . The seafood and vegetables
come fresh from Tsukiji. Reservations essential. Mon-Sat
5pm-midnight.

16

UENO AND AROUND
Shinsuke γϯεέ 3-31-5 Yushima, Bunkyō-ku T 03
3832 0469; Yushima station; map p.61. Bookings are
essential for this venerable izakaya where they serve
only one brand of sake - Ryōzeki, a tiny brewer from way
up north in Akita province. Simply choose between sweet
or dry, and hot or cold. The sashimi is excellent (platters
go for ¥2900), as are their famous iwashi no gansekiage
sardine rissoles (¥1050). Mon-Sat 5-9.30pm.
Warrior Celt ΢ΦϦΞʔέϧτ 3F Ito Building, 6-9-22
Ueno T 03 3836 8588, W warriorcelt.jp; Ueno station;
map p.61. Things can get pretty raucous at this good-time